


guys in love

by okiedokey



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Dating, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kisses, M/M, all the cute stuff!, and they love each other so much!!!, charlie being cute, i couldn’t think of a better title so u get this bland one!!, mac being the best dang boyfriend in the whole world, probably a bit OOC, theyre in high school
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-25 00:59:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16651276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okiedokey/pseuds/okiedokey
Summary: The year is 1994, on a Saturday, and there's nothing Mac wants to do more than to see his boyfriend kick ass in hockey.





	guys in love

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first attempt at writing a fic, and i was feeling real soft and wanted to write something simple and cute so this kinda happened!! i've always been attached to the idea of charlie being real good at hockey (and on a team!) so i just decided to roll with it. mac and charlie are already boyfriends, its just them being happy and supportive to one another. enjoy!!! tell me what you think :)

The late autumn wind rustled Mac’s hair, a sensation he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

It felt, kind of freeing, in a strange sort of way. It was kind of amazing how one small thing like that could make you feel weightless, satisfied, finally at ease, like your lungs could finally inhale all the way after trying again and again to take a full breath. 

Mac inhaled, and breathed out, being careful to watch for any cracks in the road in front of him. 

Right then, his hair was free of hair gel, something Mac had started doing recently because it reminded him of his dad. Made him feel, tough. Badass. But today, he decided not to wear it just to feel like this. It always felt good to feel like this. He liked the feeling of the cool air on his arms, how it blew in his face, how it ruffled his hair around. He liked not caring how he looked, if even for a little while. 

The year was 1994, and Mac smiled as he listened to the leaves crunch underneath his bike wheels. His Walkman’s headphones were hugged comfortably around his ears, his mouth chewing a piece of gum, blowing it into a bubble as many times as possible, aiming to get bigger each time. 

As he turned another corner, he stopped to remember if he was going the right way. The ice rink was around here somewhere, and he wouldn’t miss another one of Charlie’s games. Not today. 

In fact, he would even be on time. 

It wasn’t really every day you got to see your boyfriend play hockey. On time, at least. If your name was Mac McDonald, this was a rarity, a shot in the dark. He enjoyed it more than anything—seeing Charlie dart across the ice, seeing him so brutally determined and concentrated, even if he was so small. He was a force to be reckoned with, or, at least, Mac thought so. He didn’t really understand the rules of hockey. 

But none of that mattered, if he got to see Charlie play. 

Though, of course, there always had to be something in the way, every single Saturday. Something that kept him from this weekly euphoria. And, unfortunately, it came in the form of doing chores for his mom. Sure, Mac loved her dearly, more than anyone else in the world, but it was always one after the other, over and over again.

“Mac,” his mother would grumble. “Get me more cigarettes. I’m smokin’ my last one. Need more.” 

Mac’s head would dart up, he would rush to his feet and kiss his mom on the cheek. “Alright mom,” he would chirp, and run off to get some more. If they were fresh out, he might run to a neighbor’s house. Or two. Or three. But it would always take so long, these tasks. 

“Clean my ashtrays. And clean the couch. I spilled some ash there.” 

“Go buy some milk. We’re fresh out.” 

“Ron, clean your goddamn room, it’s disgusting.” 

Mac didn’t really care about any of it, he was the only man in the house, after all, and Mac loved her. If she needed something, he would do it. Every single Saturday. 

He wished he had had the guts to do something about it, to be able to tell her that he wanted to leave, just for an hour, he’d be there and back again, promise. But he cared too much, and he assumed that wasn’t much of a problem anyways. His mom was his mom, and she had always been there for him, so he would do the same for her. 

Besides, at least he got to see Charlie at school. That was always nice. 

But today, something miraculous had happened. His mom was taking a nap on the couch, and Mac was trying to sneak out the door, trying desperately to take advantage of this one moment of peace, of silence, free of his mom, and get to the ice rink. 

Everything he needed was all packed in his bag, squared away for him and Charlie, and his hand had reached for the old, rusted doorknob. It was right there, that cool autumn air just a step away— 

His mom woke up, and Mac froze. He thought he had had enough time to get out, but she grumbled, she stirred, and Mac ran to her side immediately. 

“Where ya going,” she said, her eyes still closed. 

“Sorry mommy.” Mac kneeled close to her, love in his eyes and his voice. “I’m going out to see Charlie. You know, my dirty friend?” 

She coughed. “You’re filthy too, just as much of a fucking rat as he is...” 

Mac smiled. She was jabbing at him, but he knew it was good-spirited. That’s just how his mom was, always poking fun, always fooling around. 

“Do you need anything? I can stay, if you want...” 

“It’s—” A cough. “Goddammit. It’s fine. Leave me alone.” 

And she had turned back around and fallen back asleep. In that moment, Mac was the happiest he had been in a long time. He kissed her forehead, pulling back her hair, and slipped outside, getting on his bike and laughing to himself as he pulled on his headphones. 

Finally. Finally. Everything had worked out. Mac couldn’t think of a better way to spend his Saturday. He had even made a sandwich for Charlie, for when he was done with the game. A little reward, regardless if he ended up winning or losing. Mac knew he would love him just the same, of course. 

The ice rink pulled up into view, a large gray building on the side of the road surrounded by trees turning all shades of orange and red. Mac pedaled fast, even though he’d be arriving five minutes early instead of forty minutes late. 

He couldn’t wait to see Charlie’s face, nose reddened by the cold, his bright smile always on his face, warm enough to melt the ice he stood on. His hair, fluffy and soft when it came out of his helmet. 

Mac almost lost balance on his bike. 

God, he was in love. 

Pulling into the parking lot was exhilarating. He parked his bike next to a tree, locked it up, pulled his headphones off his ears. 

And he ran inside. 

The rink’s lobby was bustling with people, some waiting to get inside and sit on the bleachers, some who had just come out of free skate, pulling their skates off one lace at a time. Of course, it wasn’t insanely busy—this was Philadelphia, after all—but it was new and exciting. Mac looked around, noticed maybe a few people from school, but didn’t really care regardless. He paused to slip his Walkman inside his backpack, making sure Charlie’s sandwich was still there. It was. 

Mac smiled and was about to zip his bag closed when he heard his name being called. 

“Oh, Mac, it’s you! You made it!” 

Mac knew that voice anywhere. It was sugary, it was sweet in all the right ways. “Hey, Ms. Kelly,” Mac said, slinging his backpack back around his shoulders. He met her shining eyes and couldn’t help but smile more. He loved his own mom, of course, but Charlie’s mom always held a certain kind of fondness in his heart, in ways his mom didn’t. She made him feel at home.  
“I’m so glad you were able to make it on time! My Charlie has been asking over and over, ‘Is Mac going to show up? Do you know if Mac is going to show up?’ and look! Here you are.” 

Mac ran a hand through his hair, still wild from the wind outside, but he loved the way it felt. “I know! My mom finally let me go, dude, it was like, finally! You know?”  
Mrs. Kelly grinned and grabbed his hand excitedly. “Yes, of course! Now, I’ve got to get going,” she looked around at all the people gathered around the door. “I want to get us good seats.” She winked cutely and ran back in line, Mac waving as she turned. 

He exhaled slowly, and joined the long line of people. Though it took a minute or two to get everyone inside, once Mac was sitting on the cool metal bleachers his heart raced as if he had still gotten here seconds ago.

Charlie’s mom was talking with another adult next to her, probably the adult of another player, so Mac turned his attention to the rink. Although no one was on it yet, the boys could be seen mingling in the spot next to it, coming out of the changing room and talking before getting ready to head out onto the ice. 

Mac sat and fiddled with his backpack, the zipper dancing between his fingers. He couldn’t wait until the game started. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t really know why these games meant so much to him, why seeing Charlie play made him feel so nice. Maybe it was the thrill of rooting for someone you like, or seeing the person you like do something that they like. Regardless, it really didn’t matter to Mac. His heart just kept beating with happiness, and he waited. 

~~~

After a little while, boys from either team leaped out onto the ice and began a short warm-up, racing around the ice and getting into rhythm with their sticks. Mac perked up, as did Mrs. Kelly (“Ooh, Mac! It’s starting!”) and he began to look for the boy he knew so well. Spotting him wasn’t hard, he obviously had a much smaller stature than the other boys, his gear fitting him just slightly looser. Charlie was on offense, because, of course he would be, and Mac watched intently as he almost flew around the ice. 

He was good, and Mac wasn’t just saying that, he could really tell he was. He had control, he knew what he was doing...It was kind of beautiful to watch. 

At one point, Charlie faltered just a bit, then regained his footing and laughed at himself, tossing his head back just a few inches and giggling about nothing at all. Mac could see his light brown hair sticking out the top of his helmet, his eyes squinting as he laughed. 

Mac rested his head in his hands. If he had known he would get to see this... He would’ve snuck out more often.

Soon after, the game really began, and it was a straight fifty-five minutes of exhilaration. Mac held onto every moment. He cheered when Charlie’s team scored. His heart soared with pride when Charlie intercepted the puck. He stood up, yelled, edged on the team to victory with all the others in the bleachers, trying to yell louder than anyone else.

Even if he didn’t quite understand what was going on, Mac loved to see his boyfriend play. And he would love it even more when he finally got to talk to him.

For a minute, Mac just inhaled, and just enjoyed being there. The cold bit at his bare arms, but in the moment, it felt good. If the wind outside was freeing, peaceful, thrilling, the cold was refreshing, exciting, a change of pace. The cold reminded him of Charlie, not in the sense that Charlie was a cold person, because he never could be in a million years, but because Charlie was everything the cold made him feel. 

When Mac was with Charlie, he had goosebumps. He felt charged up, he felt awake, he was excited, and happy, and he felt nervous in the best way. 

Mac snapped back to reality at the sound of a loud beep, signalling the end of the game. He looked up at the scoreboard eagerly and wasn’t surprised to see Charlie’s team had pulled ahead significantly in the end. 

Waving goodbye to Charlie’s mom, Mac grabbed his backpack and almost bounded down the bleachers—seemingly totally unaware of the risk the action held. He didn’t care. He saw Charlie, still standing on the ice, hugging the wall of the rink and watching people slowly leave the rink, and that was all that mattered.

Mac smiled. He was gonna kiss that motherfucker so hard there wouldn’t be a chilly bone in his body.

 

Charlie caught Mac’s gaze and, suddenly, his eyes lit up.

“Mac! You made it, man!”

Charlie’s hair was slightly held down with sweat, yet still managing to cutely perk up in all different areas of his head. His eyes, green and beautiful, reflected all the lights in the rink and shone so brightly back into Mac’s. His smile was infectious, and Mac could still feel the smile against his lips as he brought Charlie’s face into his, kissing him.

His hands were positioned on opposite sides of Charlie’s head, holding him there. He giggled into the kiss as Charlie wrapped his arms around Mac’s torso, as best as he could over the wall, his gloves and jersey still on. 

Mac really did feel warm inside. He really, really loved Charlie. He didn’t even stop to care if people happened to be looking. Frankly, in that moment, he felt like no one else was there but them.

Both boys pulled away, looked at each other, and laughed as they slowly unwrapped from each other over the rink’s wall. 

Mac met Charlie’s eyes and smiled. Charlie smiled back, his eyes creasing the way they did whenever he was really happy. 

“So, Mac, if you’re here,” Charlie started, giggling, “I assume you saw that incredible pass I made,”

“Dude, I saw every pass everyone made! Theirs’ definitely weren’t as cool as yours though, bro. Not even, like, by a landslide.”

Charlie jumped a little with excitement.

“Shit, dude! You got out here early? That’s awesome!”

Charlie started to skate towards the exit of the rink, Mac following next to him as quickly as possible. “Yeah, my mom finally let me out!”

Charlie snickered. “It’s about time...I really might’ve played every game this season without you finally seeing more than five minutes. That would’ve sucked so hard!”

They reached the gate of the rink, and Mac held out his hand to Charlie, allowing him to step out of it.

“‘Cause, you know, Mac, when you’re watching? I totally play for you.” Charlie’s face was grinning like crazy.

Mac’s face grew red, his heart pounded. “Shut up, dicknose,” he said, shoving Charlie as lightly as he could. 

Exiting the rink, and into the lobby, Mac felt giddy. Giddy as he watched Charlie untie his skates. Giddy as Charlie waved goodbye to his teammates. Giddy as their eyes met and Charlie gave him a heart-wrenching smile, enough to make Mac give just the same in return.

Goddammit, this was awesome. Being in love, and shit.

~~~

Soon after Charlie had gotten all of his gear off and loaded it into his mom’s car, Mac began his long--and expected--endeavor between him and Mrs. Kelly. He, like a few times before, wanted persuade her to let him drive Charlie home on his bike. It wasn’t easy, of course. Light argument was always involved over the matter of her precious Charlie.

“Oh, but how will you both fit on one bike?” Ms. Kelly had asked, sincerely worried.

Mac grimaced, but held a smile. “I told you already, Ms. Kelly. I have pegs Charlie can stand on. He’ll be okay!”

“Yeah, mom, stop worrying about me all the time!” Charlie pouted, and Mac looked over. The irony; he looked exactly like the type of person who would need protection at all times.

“Charlie, oh, my boy, I know you’re big and strong! It’s just it’s such a big world out there, well, out here, and—“

“Mom! It’s fine. Mac is totally buff and shit, we’ll be okay.”

Mac’s hand closed around Charlie’s.

Even though the whole endeavor took a little while, Ms. Kelly ended up driving away with her eventual approval—and not before giving Mac and Charlie their respective kisses on the cheek.

Charlie sighed with relief. “Man. She means well, I think, but, c’mon! We’re, like, old and stuff.”

Mac laughed a little. “Who gives a shit.”

The shorter boy smiled at that, and turned towards Mac, his hand still in his. “So, uh, why’d we come out here, man?”

Mac jumped with excitement, letting go of Charlie’s hand, briefly. “Oh shit! C’mere dude, I brought you something. Thiiiink you might like it.”

They sat on the curb outside of the rink, the autumn trees raining orange and gold leaves around them. Mac slung his backpack around his shoulder and dug around in the bag, before pulling out the two sandwiches he’d prepared.

“Bam!”

Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Dude! I’m always so hungry after a game, how did you know?” His fingers pawed at the plastic wrap that encased the food. “What’s on it!”

Mac handed it to him, laughing. “Only some of your favorites; cheese, pickles, goldfish crackers, ketchup, spam, chocolate, the works. I have literally no idea how they’re gonna taste together.”

Charlie unwrapped the ciran wrap with ease. “I don’t care if it tastes like horseshit, I can and I will eat this whole thing.”

Mac gazed at Charlie, his head in his hands, as he took his first bite.

“Shit, dude, you’ve got something here...This is…”

Mac giggled, his eyes creasing and his shoulders bouncing, the way they always did when he was happy. “I love you so much, man..That’s disgusting.”

Charlie grinned, swallowed the sandwich down hungrily, and wiped his mouth before picking up Mac’s hand. He placed a light kiss on it. “Thanks, Mac, for doing this for me. And coming early and seeing me. It makes me feel... Cool.”

Mac leaned into Charlie’s touch, ecstatic. “‘Course, dude.”

The shorter boy took Mac’s hand with his, and began to move closer. He ran his fingers through Mac’s hair, touching it lovingly.

Mac’s eyes opened wide, and suddenly he was getting lost in Charlie’s touch, because it felt so good; because it felt like he was being pet. He missed touch like this so badly.

“Your hair, i-it looked good like this. Looks. I wanted to touch it ever since I saw you run down the bleachers.”

“You think so…?”

Charlie paused and gave Mac one of his soft grins. “Yeah, I do! You’ve been greasing it back so much, I totally forgot what it looks like normally.”

Mac closed his eyes, letting him continue, knowing he had been wrong. Charlie wasn’t like the cool air from the rink, not really. Charlie was a gentle breeze, with the capability to be wild and free, but oh, so touching when it wasn’t. His hands, gently playing and toying with Mac’s hair, reminded him so much of the autumn wind he had felt running through it just a bit earlier, it made his heart flutter.

The taller boy moved to hold the hand that was still being held by Charlie, and he planted a kiss on his forehead, kind and light. Charlie giggled at that, and leaned into Mac, his hand dropping to grab onto his shirt, his face in his chest.

“I love you so much, man,” Charlie said, his voice muffled by the fabric, and Mac could feel him smiling through it. He squeezed his hand.

“I love you too. So much.”

They sat like that for a little while, just listening to the sounds of people exiting the rink, and the leaves falling around them. Mac could’ve sworn Charlie had fallen asleep, before he picked up his head and wiped his eyes a bit, exhaling.

“I guess we should start going home.”

Mac smiled, and helped Charlie to his feet. “Okay. It is getting kind of late, huh?”

Charlie nodded in agreement, stretching out. They gathered the sandwich wrappers back into Mac’s bag, and unhooked the bike from the tree it was attached to.

“Make sure not to fall off,” Mac said, as Charlie got onto the pegs. “I’m pretty sure your mom might kill me if you did.”

Charlie laughed. “Like this is my first time riding fucking pegs. Just drive, man!”

And as Mac kicked the bike free, riding into the street with Charlie’s small arms around his waist, his head resting on his back, he really felt free. This was new, different, but it was good.

Mac giggled to himself, pedaling his feet swiftly. His mom could wait just a little longer for him to get back home.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading, i know its not perfect but i tried my best!!! i love you! ♡  
> twitter -- grillledcharlie  
> instagram -- super.wooper


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